Naruto's Pain and Sakura's Comfort
by Crippleshot13
Summary: Naruto and Sakura return from their latest encounter with Sasuke. Naruto is upset with himself after he hurt Sakura while in the four tailed Kyuubi mode. Now it's up to Sakura to cheer him up for a change. - ONESHOT


**Hey hey! How you doing everyone? This is Crippleshot13 again with my second story! I want to thank everyone who read my first story "Sakura's Feelings and Naruto's Cluelessness." Especially for the feedback I got from you guys. It made me real happy to know that a lot of people liked my writing. I'm coming to the end of my quarter at school soon, and I'm surprisingly ahead of schedule on my projects. So it gave me time to write out this new story I thought up. I know my last fic was more mature and adult themed. But I can also be a sucker for the fluff. So I decided to try my hand at that. I hadn't really seen any stories about when Naruto hurt Sakura when he was in his four tailed Kyuubi state. So I thought I'd write a story in the way I thought it should go. Let me know what you all think! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything affiliated to the show. All of it belongs to ****Kishimoto-san****.**

**OK! ON TO THE STORY!**

**Naruto's Pain and Sakura's Comfort**

He slammed his fist into the grass. Frustration taking control of his emotions. He was on his hands and knees for support. Tears were falling freely from his sapphire colored eyes. He was gritting his teeth in anger. His yellow hair was flowing in the light gust of wind. The sunlight was reflecting off of his headband. He was wearing his usual black and orange jumpsuit, but there were rips and tears in some places. Naruto was in training ground 7 by the three logs that had been there since his younger days in Team 7. He had just returned from his latest Sasuke retrieval mission. Although, it had started out as a recovery mission for one of Sasori's, an Akatsuki member, spies. The spy happened to be Kabuto. Orochimaru's right hand man and talented medical ninja. During their altercation, Naruto was taken over by the Kyuubi's power. He had lost control of himself and had allowed the fourth tail of his chakra cloak to grow. At that point, he had turned into a miniature version of the Kyuubi. He had fought Orochimaru head on and had caused him to have to retreat after inflicting some serious damage. But there was another reason he was in this state.

"DAMNIT!" He cursed as his pounded his fist into the ground again. "How could I let this happen? Because of what I did…I hurt Sakura. How can I ever face her again? She probably hates me now."

Naruto gripped the grass in both his palms. The tears would not cease. He hated himself for what he had done. Meanwhile, on the edge of the forest line that surrounds the training ground, two figures stand watching the scene. A pair of emerald green eyes watches with sadness and caring, while a pair of black eyes watches sternly, yet supportive. Sakura's hair was being blown in front of her face covering some of her features. All that could be seen was the sadness in her eyes. It took all she had to hold back her own tears from watching the scene in front of her. Her red blouse she normally wore was dirtied from the mission. As well as the rest of her attire as well. The man next to her spoke up then.

"It's ok to cry Sakura." The man said.

Sakura looked over at him with a questioning look.

"I know you deeply care about him. I can see in the way you look at him. I could see the concern you had when I preformed the technique to seal the Kyuubi's chakra away. You asked me if you were able to learn that technique. It may not be possible for you, but the fact that you were willing to lean, for him, did show me that you do love him." The man stated.

"But Captain Yamato…I-I don't know what I feel." Sakura spoke hesitantly.

The man identified as Yamato sighed. "Look, I can't convince you of this. You have to determine how you feel on your own. Right now, he needs you. You have to go to him. He's like this because he thinks you hate him after he hurt you in his Kyuubi state. You have to show him that your feelings haven't changed or else he may stay like this."

He spoke directly to her, but he did not face her. His eyes stayed fixated on the blond boy torturing himself in front of him. The happuri he wore that framed his face made him look more serious than he had meant to look. But Sakura could tell he was saddend by Naruto's disply as well.

"You're right. Thank you Captain Yamato…could I have some time to myself? I need to gather my thoughts." Sakura asked.

"Sure. I'll head back to the village to report to the Hokage the outcome of our mission. If you need me, come and find me." Yamato said reassuringly.

Sakura nodded and with that, he vanished in a poof of smoke, leaving Sakura alone. She focused her attention once again to Naruto in the training ground. He had propped himself up against the log he had been tied to by Kakashi a few years back. It made her smile as memories of the old Team 7 flashed through her thoughts. The countless missions they did together, camping out under the stars when they were away from the village, all of the time they spent together. Her thoughts shifted towards Sasuke. Her expression changed to a depressed one. She thought about how she felt about him then and now. While it was true she did still hold feelings for him, after seeing him the way she had on this mission, told her that he was no longer the Sasuke she loved back then. He had almost killed Naruto. And with no hesitation. She couldn't stand to think about what would have happened if he actually had succeeded. Naruto was all she had left that kept her strong. That motivated her to become better. She wanted to be able to protect him. Just like he had done so many times for her. Somewhere inside her, she knew Captain Yamato had spoken the truth. She didn't know if it was necessarily love, but she did hold feelings for her teammate. And maybe with time, she could grow to love him. Like he had loved her for so many years. She smiled as she wiped away tears that started to flow from her eyes.

"_Ok. I better go cheer him up_." She thought to herself.

She walked out of the forest and into the clearing. Naruto was still crying. But he had stopped pounding the ground. He seemed like he was calming down little by little.

"_Good. He's calming down. This should make things a little easier. Here goes nothing." _She thought, gaining confidence as she approached him.

Naruto sensed her presence and looked over in her direction. His expression lifted for a moment. But then it turned to one of remorse.

"Hey Sakura." Hey said in a low voice.

He wiped away the dry tears as best he could so she wouldn't see he was crying. He hadn't known that she had already been watching for some time now.

"Hi Naruto." She said, smiling softly at him. "Can I join you?"

He mumbled a "yes" and she sat down next to him. She looked at him and he had a downcast look in his eyes.

"Look Naruto, about what happened at the bridge…" She started to say.

"You don't have to say it." He interrupted.

"Huh?"

"You hate me now don't you? You saw what I turned into. I hurt you. It's all my fault."

"That's not true! That wasn't you! The Naruto I know would never do anything to hurt me! And I don't hate you either!" She stated determinedly.

"But it was me Sakura. It's because of this thing inside me. Because I let my emotions get the better of me, I put you and everyone else in danger." His expression turned to one of disgust. "I really am what all the villagers call me. A demon. A killer." He said scornfully about himself.

Sakura slapped him hard. Naruto was surprised at the sudden action and put his hand to his reddend cheek.

"Sakura…"

"Don't you ever say that about yourself ever again!" She yelled.

He looked into her eyes. She was angry. A look of furry mixed with pain in her eyes. But it wasn't anger towards him hurting her. It was for what he had said about himself.

"You are NOTHING like what you have inside you! You are you and nobody else! You are Naruto Uzumaki!" She shouted at him.

She started to cry. Naruto didn't know what to say to her. Then she embraced him in a tight hug and started to cry on his shoulder. This took Naruto off guard. Sakura had never hugged him before. He didn't know what to do. He did what came to mind first. He wrapped one arm around her back and place his free hand on her and. She looked up at him. She looked sad and hurt.

"Naruto…please…I need you to be strong. For me. You're my inspiration. If I see you sad about something, I feel like I'll break apart. I need you to be the knucklehead that always makes me smile and laugh." She begged.

Naruto began to stroke her hair. He pulled her closer to him and held her tighter. She sighed as she melded into the hug. This felt right to her. Being in his arms. He was strong, yet gentle. She took in his scent. He didn't wear any cologne; he just had a natural scent to him. It made her feel comfortable. And the way he stroked her hair made her relax. She felt safe. She closed her eyes and thought about everything he had done for her. He had been the one to comfort her after Sasuke's countless rejections. The one who made her smile when it seemed there was nothing to smile about. The one who made her laugh when the situation seemed tense. She had loved Sasuke for the longest time, but maybe she had the wrong guy. Maybe it was finally time to give Naruto the chance he had always wanted. The chance he deserved. Naruto spoke up, breaking Sakura's train of thought.

"Ok Sakura. I promise. But on one condition." He said.

She looked up at him and tilted her head to the side confused. "What is it?" She asked.

Naruto gave her one of his foxy grins. "I'll do it, if you go on a date with me."

This made her smile. Then she started to chuckle. Before she knew it, she was laughing and couldn't stop. Naruto pouted.

"What's so funny?" He asked feigning hurt.

She looked up at him again and smiled. "I was just thinking how easy it is for you to make me smile and laugh."

"Oh really?" He asked, a wicked smirk playing on his face. "Does it make you laugh when I do…THIS?"

He started to tickle her in her sides. Sakura resumed her laughter, but it was much louder and fuller this time.

"NARUTO! STOP IT! CUT IT OUT!" She managed to say in between laughs.

"I will if you accept my date offer!" He responded, still tickling her.

"OK OK! HAHAHA! I'LL GO ON A DATE WITH YOU!" She finally said.

"YES!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs. "SHE FINALLY SAID YES! WHOOO!"

Sakura giggled at his cheering. It was Naruto's turn to hug Sakura this time. She didn't hesitate to hug him back.

"Thank you Sakura. You've made me really happy. I can't thank you enough." He said in a sincere voice.

"You're welcome Naruto. I'm glad I could make you happy." She said.

They stayed like that for a few minutes. Naruto started stroking her hair again. She could definitely get used to this feeling. He then put a finger to her chin. He lifted it so she was looking at him in the eyes. He had a soft smile on his face and his stare held her captive. She could see all the love he held for her in them. She smiled back at him. He moved his head closer to hers and lightly kissed her. She returned the kiss and it felt heavenly. She felt what little romantic feelings she had for Sasuke dissolve at that moment. All that mattered to her now was Naruto. They broke apart after a few seconds and Naruto was blushing like mad. But he had one of the most genuine smiles she had ever seen from him before. She chuckled and spoke to break the silence.

"You know Naruto, I'm no expert, but I think the kiss is supposed to come after the dating." She teased.

He put a hand to the back of his head and rubbed it while grinning at her. "Heh heh. Sorry. I uhhh…couldn't control myself. I just moved." He explained.

"well it's ok. I don't mind just this once. But, If you want these lips again, you're going to have to take me on more than one date." She said smirking.

Naruto blinked a few times. "Eh?"

She giggled and he smiled at her.

"Alright, it's a deal." He agreed.

"Good. Now then, where are you taking me?" She asked.

He put a finger to his chin and looked off to the right. Making a face that said he was thinking.

"Hmmm…How about we go for some barbeque?" He suggested.

Sakura was actually surprised. She thought he was going to ask her to his favorite restaurant.

"Really? What about Ichiraku? Isn't it your favorite?"

"Yeah, but since there will be more than one date, I figured why not go somewhere we can both enjoy? We can always go to Ichiraku another time." He said.

"_He's so sweet. He's passing up his favorite restaurant just for me. I definitely made the right choice with him." _She said in her mind.

"Ok Naruto. Barbeque it is."

"ALRIGHT!" He yelled.

She laughed at his enthusiasm. Naruto then got up and helped Sakura to her feet. She punched him in the shoulder playfully.

"Oww!" He exaggerated. "What was that for?" He asked pouting.

"That, was for tickling me earlier." She said as she flicked his nose with her index finger.

"Heh heh. Fair enough. Hey let's race back to the village! Last one there has to pay!" He said excitedly.

"You're paying regardless." She said playfully.

"Yeah I know. Just a joke…"He paused. "But the race part wasn't! Catch me if you can!" He shouted as he dashing towards the Leaf Village.

"You're on!" She said quietly to herself.

She dashed after him, determined not to lose.

"_Sorry Sasuke. You had your chance. Now it's Naruto's turn. But don't think we're done with you yet. We will bring you back."_ She thought as she caught up to Naruto.

The two leapt into the trees and sped as fast as they could towards the village. Sakura had made Naruto forget all about his sorrow. Just like he had done for her so many times. She hoped that she would be able to continue to do so for a long time to come.

**THE END**

**A/N: Well, there you have it. **** I hope I did alright. I had to write it while it was still fresh in my mind. Sometimes I can lose an idea and it takes me awhile to remember it again. Also, from my last story, I was told to do an extra chapter. I kind of left this story so I can edit it based on your opinions if you want me to continue with it or not. Anyway, thanks for reading! Please review so I know how I did. Until next time! CYA!**


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